iPhone apps I have known: front page
These apps are the ones I use (or mean to use) frequently. Titles link to the app store; images link to the Flickr photoset. Apps which my three-year-old son has enjoyed will get an extra evaluation from that perspective.
(See the other iPhone app reviews in the series.)
Darkslide
<img src=“http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3065/3143636438_fa118fc16c_t_d.jpg” class=“thumbnail left” alt=“Darkslide, contacts page” /> <img src=“http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3287/3143661000_a5cb60c33b_t_d.jpg” class=“thumbnail right” alt=“Darkslide, search page” /> 0.7 MB, free (formerly Exposure; also Darkslide Premium, $4)
This is a Flickr client, from the developer who makes the FlickrExport plugins for iPhoto and Aperture. I was considering whether to delete it from my phone (in favor of the wonderful mobile version of the site), but a recent update (which also renamed it from Exposure) gave it a very good photo upload interface. This version is ad-supported, while the $4 version has no ads.
Three-year-old evaluation
He doesn’t launch this himself, but it’s great for looking at pictures of himself, or of his current obsession (e.g. owls, hammerhead sharks). However, it doesn’t drag to the next photo or do the cool stretch/squeeze zooming things that the native Photos app does.
Evernote
1.4 MB, free
This is a client for the (free or paid) Evernote service, which stores text, images, and documents online. There are also native clients for OS X and Windows, as well as a web UI. The service includes full-text search, made far more useful by its very good OCR capabilities. I feel like I should use this more often, but only use it sporadically; it hasn’t become a habit. Putting it on the front page is an experiment to see if it’ll get used more.
Instapaper Pro
0.1 MB, $10 (also Instapaper Free)
This is a great service if you read and/or take the bus. On your desktop browser, install a bookmarklet in your toolbar. When you come across an article you want to read later (perhaps on your next bus ride), click it. When you next sync the iPhone app, you’ll get the article (plaintext or HTML) on the device, to read at your leisure. It remembers your location within each article (if you hop between them, or put one aside for later), provides a link to the original page, and has a cool tilt-to-scroll interface. I paid for the pro version to support the developer.
NetNewsWire
0.3 MB, free
An RSS feed reader, one of tons out there (a quick search finds dozens). For me, the deciding factor is that this one stays in sync with the Mac version and with FeedDemon, the Windows equivalent. Simple and low-drama. (Doesn’t gracefully handle feeds with lots of unread articles.)
Remote
1.1 MB, free
Apple’s iTunes remote control, by most reports a better interface than the iPhone’s iPod functionality. I plan to use this when Meghan gets an iPhone and we retire the beloved SliMP3 player, which has served us so well (but is now obsolete). It’s on the front page to hold a spot, in the expectation that it’ll see frequent use.
Twitterrific
1.1 MB, free (also [Twitterrific Premium](http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=284542696&mt=8, $10))
A straightforward Twitter client. The premium version has a few extra features and no ads. Those with stronger opinions on the matter seem to like Tweetie, but I haven’t tried it, not using Twitter enough (yet) to pay for an app.
Three-year-old evaluation
Uninteresting, except that he likes the bluebird on the splash screen, which he calls “Twitter”. Like I think a lot of people do.
(See the other iPhone app reviews in the series.)